Ubisoft's sales predictions for Red Steel 2 may not be as lofty as they were, but gamers worldwide will have a chance to exchange their hard-earned money for blades and bullets in late March. The game is due to hit North American stores on March 23rd, with the European release date a few days later on the 26th.

As well as confirming these release dates, Ubisoft has also unveiled information about the exclusive bonus goodies available to preorder customers. UK and European gamers will be able to pick up a 20-page art book detailing some of the concept sketches behind the town of Caldera, as well as four in-game weapons - the Tataro .357 Magnum, the Cord Industries Barracuda .357 AMP, and the legendary swords Kuro No Ken and Nihontō Hana. There's also a Red Steel 2-branded metal bullet, which could be a USB memory stick as used to promote their similar title Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, or it could just be a metal bullet. Don't get too excited.

For US customers, Gamestop and EB Games are currently offering the swords as a preorder incentive, with no mention of the guns or art book on their websites. With the unlocks being accessed through in-game codes, however, you'll most likely be able to pick up the guns using a European code, so take a deep breath and relax.